For many years, vehicles have had numerous safety features for protecting the vehicle's driver and occupants. More recently, safety devices have been devised to reduce injuries to pedestrians in the event the vehicle collides with a pedestrian. When a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle, one common problem is that the pedestrian tends to be thrown over the vehicle's hood and his/her head impacts the windshield, which can result in debilitating injuries or death.
In an effort to reduce the risk that the pedestrian's head impacts the windshield, pedestrian protection devices have been devised that elevate the rear portion of the hood to absorb the impact of the pedestrian and change the pedestrian's trajectory so their head misses the windshield. One type of this device uses a sensor in the vehicle's bumper to detect a pedestrian impact. When this is detected, an actuator in the pedestrian protection device is deployed that elevates the rear portion of the hood.
After the accident, the hood remains elevated to a position that obstructs the driver's vision through the windshield. The driver needs to reset the rear portion of the hood to drive to a service station so the pedestrian protection device can be replaced. There are existing reset mechanisms that allow the rear portion of the hood to be reset to a closed position after the accident, but these tend to be overly complex and contain numerous components. Moreover, existing reset mechanisms require tight tolerances in machining, which drives up the manufacturing costs. Therefore, there is a need for a new hinge assembly with a pedestrian protection device that can be reset with a less complex mechanism.
According to one aspect, the invention provides a hinge assembly for a vehicle hood. The hinge assembly includes a vehicle body hinge member configured to be connected with a vehicle body and a hood hinge member configured to be connected with a vehicle hood. The vehicle body hinge member and the hood hinge member are pivotally connected so the hood can be opened for servicing and closed for driving. The assembly includes a pedestrian protection device. In one embodiment, the pedestrian protection device includes a bracket movable between an extended position in which a rear portion of the vehicle hood is in an elevated position and a retracted position in which the rear portion of the vehicle hood is in a drivable position. A shear pin extends through the bracket for maintaining the bracket in the retracted position until a threshold force is applied to the bracket. The device includes an actuator configured to apply at least the threshold force to shear the shear pin, thereby moving the bracket to the extended position. A reset latch relocks the bracket in the retracted position after the shear pin has been sheared.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a resettable pedestrian protection device. In one embodiment, the resettable pedestrian protection device includes a bracket movable between an extended position in which a rear portion of the vehicle hood is in an elevated position and a retracted position in which the rear portion of the vehicle hood is in a drivable position. A shear pin extends through the bracket for maintaining the bracket in the retracted position until a threshold force is applied to the bracket. An actuator applies at least the threshold force to shear the shear pin, thereby moving the bracket to the extended position. The device includes a reset latch configured to relock the bracket in the retracted position after the shear pin has been sheared.
According to a further aspect, the invention provides a method for resetting a pedestrian protection device. The method includes the step of actuating a pedestrian protection device of a vehicle in response to detection of a pedestrian collision by elevating a rear portion of the hood. The pedestrian protection device is reset by pushing downward on the elevated rear portion of the hood. For example, the resetting step could be performed by latching a bracket to a latch assembly associated with the pedestrian protection device.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived. It is intended that all such additional features and advantages be included within this description and be within the scope of the invention.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principals of the invention. The exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the invention, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.